Jayhawks return to Big 12 play in Austin Tuesday

Senior guard Lagerald Vick 

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas (16-4, 5-2) will return to Big 12 play after its 71-63 loss at No. 8/9 Kentucky, Jan. 26, in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. The Jayhawks will play at Texas (11-9, 3-4) who lost at Georgia, 98-88, on Jan. 26. The KU-UT game will tip at 6 p.m. (CT) and will be televised on ESPN. Jon Sciambi (play-by-play) and Jay Bilas (analyst) will call the action.

WATCH JAYHAWK GAMEDAY LIVE FROM AUSTIN
Jayhawk Gameday Live, a 30-minute pregame show and a 60-minute postgame show, will be live before KU’s match-up with Texas starting at 5:30 p.m. (CT). Full postgame reaction and analysis will follow immediately after the game’s conclusion. The show will be available across the country on the ESPN app, as well as regionally on KMCI, Spectrum Sports, Midco Sports Network and Cox Cable. For more information on how to access Jayhawk Gameday Live as well as content from the Jayhawk Network, visit KUAthletics.com/JTV.

TIP-OFF

• Kansas is tied with Kansas State at 5-2 in the Big 12 standings. Baylor is a half game back at 4-2, while eight of the 10 teams are within two games of the league lead. Texas is one of those teams at 3-4. Kansas has won the Big 12 regular-season title an NCAA-record 14-consecutive seasons beginning in 2004-05. 
• Kansas has won 10 straight against Texas and leads the overall series, 32-8. KU is 10-6 against the Longhorns in meetings in Austin with all 16 matchups played in the Erwin Center. The Jayhawks have won their last four trips to Austin.
• Kansas is 37-4 in conference games decided by 10 points or less since 2016.
• Kansas is 88-11 following a loss in the Bill Self era, including 3-0 this season. Since 2013-14, the Jayhawks are 38-3 following a loss.
• Kansas is 90-40 (69.2 percent) in Big 12 road games under head coach Bill Self, since 2003-04, including 1-2 this season.
• Kansas is the only team in the Big 12 with two players ranked in the top eight in the league in scoring. Redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson is second at 19.5 ppg, while senior G Lagerald Vick is eighth at 14.8 ppg.
• Dedric Lawson has posted back-to-back 20-point, 15-rebound games with 29 points and 15 rebounds against No. 24 Iowa State (1/21) and 20 points and 15 rebounds at No. 8 Kentucky (1/26). Lawson upped his career averages to a double-double with 17.9 ppg and 10.0 rpg.
• Sophomore G Marcus Garrett has led KU in steals each of the last four games and eight times this season. Garrett is second in the Big 12 in steals at 1.8 and has 14 thefts in the last four contests.

 
ABOUT KANSAS
No. 9/10 Kansas is 16-4 overall and 5-2 in Big 12 play after its 71-63 loss at No. 8/9 Kentucky Jan. 26 in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge. In all games, Kansas ranks in the top three in the Big 12 in scoring offense (second at 77.3), field goal percentage (second at 47.5), field goal percentage defense (third at 40.4), 3-point field goal percentage (third at 35.8) and steals (third at 7.3). KU has a +7.2 scoring margin, +1.6 rebound margin and has outrebounded 12 of 20 opponents this season. KU also averages 7.0 3-pointers made, 13.7 assists and 3.7 blocked shots per game.
 
Redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson has three straight double-doubles after his 20 points and 15 rebounds at Kentucky (1/26). A Wooden Award Midseason nominee, he has six double-doubles in his last eight games and a Big 12-leading 14 for the season, which is tied for second nationally. Dedric Lawson, a Sporting News Midseason All-America First Team selection, has scored 20 or more points in 11 games this season, including each of the last two. He is second in the Big 12 in scoring at 19.5 ppg and leads the league in rebounding at 11.1 rpg. He is the only player in the league averaging a double-double. A three-time Big 12 Player of the Week (11/12, 11/26, 12/26) and three-time league newcomer of the week (12/3, 12/17, 1/14), Lawson leads KU with 22 blocked shots and his 1.1 blocks per game are eighth in the conference. He is seventh in the league with a 52.0 field goal percentage.
 

 
Senior G Lagerald Vick is second the Big 12 in 3-point field goal percentage at 45.5 and 3-point field goals made at 3.0. He is averaging 14.8 points per game which is eighth in the Big 12. He scored his 1,000th-career point at Baylor (1/2). Vick’s 47.6 field goal percentage is 14th in the conference.
 
Freshman G Devon Dotson recorded a career-high eight assists and no turnovers to go along with 11 points against Iowa State (1/21). Dotson ranks ninth in the Big 12 in steals at 1.4, tied for seventh in assists at 3.4 and 12th in field goal percentage at 47.9. Dotson averages 10.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. He has led KU in assists three of the last four games and 10 times this season. Freshman G Quentin Grimes has made multiple 3-pointers in three of his last four games and seven times this season. He is second on the team with 25 3-pointers made this season. After his 13 points at Kentucky (1/26), Grimes averages 8.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per contest and has 35 assists for the season.
 
Sophomore G Marcus Garrett has averaged 13.8 points in his last four games, including a career-high 20 versus Texas (1/14). He also posted a career-high six steals at West Virginia (1/19) and has 14 thefts in the last four contests. Garrett has started the last seven games and 12 for the season. He has 10 games with multiple steals in 2018-19 and his 1.8 thefts average are second in the Big 12. Garrett averages 7.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game and has 46 assists.
 
Freshman G Ochai Agbaji pulled his redshirt against TCU (1/9). In just six games, Agbaji is averaging 18.7 minutes, 6.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and is shooting 50.0 percent from the floor. Other KU regulars include redshirt-sophomore G Charlie Moore (3.3 ppg, 12 3-pointers), redshirt-sophomore G K.J. Lawson (2.6 ppg, 2.0 rpg), freshman F David McCormack (1.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg) and junior F Mitch Lightfoot (1.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg). Lightfoot leads KU with five charges taken this season.
 
ABOUT TEXAS
Located in Austin, Texas, with an enrollment of 51,334, Texas is 11-9 on the season and 3-4 in Big 12 play. The Longhorns look to end a two-game losing streak after their 98-88 loss at Georgia on Jan. 26. Texas is coached by Shaka Smart who is 61-59 in his fourth season at UT and 224-115 in his 10th year overall. Texas is 8-4 at home this season in the Erwin Center, including 2-1 in Big 12 play.
 
Texas averages 71.9 points per game with a +5.1 scoring margin. The Longhorns rank in the top three in the Big 12 in 3-point field goals made (third at 8.6) and blocked shots (third at 4.6). UT averages 35.5 rebounds per game and also averages 13.5 assists and 6.6 steals per contest.
 
Senior G Kerwin Roach II leads Texas in scoring at 14.3 points per game which is 10th in the Big 12. Roach’s 35 3-pointers made are second-most on the team, as are his 63 assists. He pulls down 4.7 rebounds per game and has 23 steals. Freshman F Jaxson Hayes is a starter who leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage at 74.3 percent and blocked shots at 2.7 per contest. Hayes scores 10.5 points and pulls down 5.1 rebounds per game.
 
Sophomore G Matt Coleman III leads Texas with 66 assists and he scores 10.2 points per game. Coleman has made 26 3-pointers this season. Senior F Dylan Osetkowski is second, behind KU’s Dedric Lawson, in the Big 12 in rebounds per game at 8.3. He leads UT in steals with 30 and scores 10.1 points per contest.
 
Sophomore G Jase Febres has 11 starts this season and he leads UT with 41 3-pointers made while his 2.1 threes per outing are seventh in the league. Febres averages 8.2 points per contest. Junior G Elijah Mitrou-Long is second on the team with 24 steals. He averages 6.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.
 
Other UT regulars include freshman G Courtney Ramey (6.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg), sophomore F Jericho Sims (4.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg), sophomore F Royce Hamm Jr. (3.5 ppg, 2.4 rpg) and freshman F Kamaka Hepa (1.9 ppg).
 
THE SERIES
In a series that dates back to 1938, Kansas leads Texas 32-8, including a 10-6 record in games in Austin with all 16 meetings at the Erwin Center. With its 80-78 win on Jan. 14 in Allen Fieldhouse, KU has won 10 straight, 15 of the last 16 meetings, and 18 of the last 20 matchups, starting with the 2008 Big 12 Championship title game. The 10-straight streak began Feb. 22, 2014, with an 85-54 win in Allen Fieldhouse.
 
Since the inception of the Big 12, Kansas holds a 28-7 record against Texas with a 24-6 mark in regular-season play and 4-1 record in the Big 12 Championship. Kansas head coach Bill Self is 22-8 all-time against Texas, including 22-6 while at KU. Texas head coach Shaka Smart is 1-7 versus Kansas, including 0-7 while at UT. Smart’s 2011 VCU team defeated Kansas, 71-61, in the NCAA Tournament Southwest Region championship game in San Antonio.
 
Earlier this season, then-No. 7/8 Kansas held off a late Texas run to defeat the Longhorns, 80-78, on Jan. 14 in Allen Fieldhouse. Jayhawk senior G Lagerald Vick led all scorers with 21 points, while sophomore G Marcus Garrett added 20 and redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson 17 with eight rebounds in the win. Vick was on fire from 3-point range, going 5-for-8 from beyond the arc. Texas led at intermission, 40-38, but KU shot 56 percent from the field in the second period en route to the victory. UT had five players score in double figures led by Matt Coleman III who had 16 points and eight assists for the game.
 
A KANSAS WIN WOULD…
Make Kansas 17-4 and 6-2 or better in Big 12 play for the third-straight season and 15th time in head coach Bill Self’s 16 seasons at KU … Give Kansas 11-straight wins against Texas, a run which started Feb. 22, 2014, including five consecutive in the Erwin Center … Make the KU-UT all-time series 33-8 in favor of Kansas, including 29-7 in the Big 12 era … Make Kansas 5-4 in games played away from Allen Fieldhouse this season, including 2-2 in Big 12 play … Make Bill Self 464-100 while at Kansas, 671-205 overall and 23-8 all-time versus Texas (23-6 while at KU) … Make Kansas 2,265-853 all-time.
 
A KANSAS LOSS WOULD…
Make Kansas 16-5 and 5-3 in Big 12 play for the first time since 2015-16 and only the second time in Bill Self’s 16 seasons at KU … End a Kansas 10-game winning streak against Texas, a run which started Feb. 22, 2014 … Make the KU-UT series 32-9 all-time, including a 28-8 mark in the Big 12 era … End a KU four-game winning streak at the Erwin Center and make the series 10-7 in favor of KU inside the venue … Make Bill Self 463-101 while at Kansas, 670-206 overall and 22-9 all-time versus Texas (22-7 while at KU) … Make Kansas 2,264-854 all-time.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Just five field goals over the final 10 minutes of regulation saw KU’s halftime lead slip away as the No. 8/9 Kentucky Wildcats sprinted past the No. 9/10 Jayhawks, 71-63, Jan. 26 inside Rupp Arena. Redshirt junior Dedric Lawson led KU in scoring for the ninth time this season and posted his Big 12-leading 14th double-double. Kansas shook off a rusty start and, with Ochai Agbaji’s triple at the 13:19 mark, the Jayhawks exploded on a 12-0 run to build an early double-digit lead, 16-6, just over midway through the opening half.
 
Kentucky’s Reid Travis used his prowess in the paint to quickly get his team back in the game. The graduate transfer pulled down four of his six first-half rebounds and scored seven points on a 9-2 UK spurt that helped the Wildcats claw back to within three points, 18-15, with 7:25 to play in the first frame.
 
A pair of Quentin Grimes triples helped KU stay close in the second half despite the Wildcat offense coming alive. His trey at the 4:33 mark pulled the Jayhawks within 57-52 in the midst of a 15-7 UK blitz. Unfortunately for the visitors, Grimes’ two threes were two of just five KU field goals in the final 10:20 of regulation.
 
KENTUCKY LEFTOVERS & NOTABLES

• The loss ended a Kansas three-game winning streak against Kentucky.
• The loss also made Kansas 2-1 against top-10 teams this season, ending a 13-game Kansas regular-season winning streak versus top-10 foes, which started Jan. 4, 2016.
• Kansas was edged in the rebounding category for the fifth time this season, losing for just the second time in those games.
• UK’s 49 rebounds tied for the most given up by the Jayhawks this season and the second largest rebound margin (Baylor) Kansas has faced.
• Kansas’ nine assists were the second fewest by the Jayhawks this season (six at West Virginia, Jan. 19).
• KU’s 36.5 percent clip from the field was its lowest of the season.
• For the first time since the 1988-89 season, a Kansas opponent saw three players post a double-double. Kentucky’s Reid Travis (18 pts, 12 rbs), P.J. Washington (20 pts, 13 rbs) and Keldon Johnson (15 pts, 10 rbs) each posted double-doubles.
• Redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson racked up his 50th career double-double and the 14th in a KU uniform with his 20 points and 15 rebounds.
• Freshman G Quentin Grimes posted his first double-digit performance in the last six games with 13 points while adding one rebounds and two assists.

 
BEST AT BOUNCING BACK
No program has been better coming off a loss than Kansas since Bill Self became the KU head coach prior to the 2003-04 season.  The Jayhawks have a winning percentage of nearly 90 percent in games after a loss, which is the best in the nation over the past 16 seasons. Kansas is 88-11 following a loss in the Bill Self era, which includes a 3-0 mark this season. Since 2013-14, the Jayhawks are 38-3 following a loss. Under Self, KU has lost two or more consecutive games on just seven occasions and only four times since 2006-07.
 

 
TOP-10 TRIUMPHS
The loss at No. 8 Kentucky on Jan. 26, ended one of the more remarkable regular-season streaks in the nation. The Jayhawks won 13-straight regular-season games over teams ranked in the top-10 of the Associated Press poll, which included two wins this season (92-87 vs. then-No. 10 Michigan State, 87-81 vs. then-No. 5 Tennessee). Since the 1996-97 season, no other team in the nation has strung together more than seven regular-season wins over top-10 foes. Prior to the Kentucky lost, KU’s last regular-season loss to a top-10 came to then-No. 1 Kentucky in the 2014 Champions Classic (11/18/14).
 
Even more impressive, prior to its Champions Classic loss to the Wildcats in 2014, the Jayhawks amassed a streak of seven-straight regular-season top-10 victories. This means that Kansas is an astounding 20-2 in its last 22 regular-season contests against top-10 ranked squads. Since Bill Self took the reins of the Jayhawks in 2003, KU is 40-20 against top-10 teams, which includes postseason play.
 

 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
After his 20 points and 15 rebounds at Kentucky (1/26), redshirt-junior F Dedric Lawson leads the Big 12 with 14 double-doubles this season, including his last three contests and 10 in his last 13 outings. Lawson entered the 2018-19 season with 36 double-doubles in his two seasons at Memphis. He had 17 as a freshman in 2015-16 and 19 as a sophomore in 2016-17.
 
Lawson’s 50 career double-doubles are fourth on the NCAA Division I active list. Lawson is the only non-senior on the NCAA Division I top-10 list.
 

 
KANSAS RARELY HOMESICK IN THE BIG 12
While Allen Fieldhouse has proven itself as one of the top home court advantages in the nation, the Jayhawks’ strength on the road is just as impressive, especially against their brethren in the Big 12.
 
Since Bill Self took the helm prior to the 2003-04 season, Kansas has amassed a record of 90-40 in regular-season Big 12 road games, good for a 69.2 winning percentage. Not only does that make the Jayhawks the only current or former member of the league with a winning record on the road, but it is the best winning percentage by any team in the six major conferences (ACC, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Pac-12, SEC) in that span. Since the Big 12 went to an 18-game, round-robin schedule in 2012, KU has posted a winning road record in six of the seven seasons since.
 

 
KANSAS VS TOP-25 TEAMS
With its loss at No. 8 Kentucky (1/26), Kansas is 6-2 against top-25 teams in 2018-19. Under Bill Self, KU is now 96-47 against AP-ranked opponents. In his first 16 seasons at KU, Self’s Jayhawks have collected four wins or more over top-25 ranked foes in 13 of those seasons, which includes a 41-18 record from 2014-present.
 
KU’s record against top-10 ranked opponents is even more impressive. KU is 18-5 against foes ranked inside the top-10 of the AP poll since 2013-14, including 2-1 this season and 4-1 in 2017-18. Last season, KU’s top-10 wins included Kentucky, West Virginia, Texas Tech and Duke. Since Bill Self’s first season, the Jayhawks are 13-3 against AP top-10 teams inside Allen Fieldhouse, which includes KU’s current streak of nine-straight home victories against top-10 foes.
 

 
UP NEXT
Kansas and Texas Tech will meet for the first time this season on Saturday, Feb. 2, at 3 p.m. (Central) in Allen Fieldhouse. The game will be televised on CBS. Kansas leads the all-time series with Texas Tech, 34-5, including a 17-1 mark in Allen Fieldhouse. Last year the Red Raiders defeated the Jayhawks, 85-73, to claim their first win against KU in Lawrence. Kansas has won 17 of the last 18 meetings in the series beginning Jan. 16, 2010. 

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